Aspirator insert



J. B. MOSSOP ASPIRATOR INSERT I July 8, 1969 Filed May 15, 1967 JZP &

hflawfaw Wasp 3 77? v CMQ United States Patent 3,454,228 ASPIRATORINSERT James B. Mossop, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignor to The TestorCorporation of Canada, Ltd.

Filed May 15, 1967, Ser. No. 638,476 Int. Cl. B05b 7/04, 7/08; A62c13/32 US. Cl. 239308 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An aspiratorinsert is incorporated in an individual product container which is to beselectively associated with a composite spray head and propellant packto effect spray discharge from the product container while the insertshields the spray head from unnecessary contact with the product. Theaspirator insert includes a vented shield disc disposed in seatingrelation to the top end of the product container and having a passageopening centrally therethrough and a delivery tube carried in dependingrelation from the disc, with the tube having an upper end communicatingwith the passage and a lower end extending into the product. The passageflares upwardly to assure automatic seating of an aspirator nozzlecarried from the spray head to register centrally with the passage.

Background of the invention The invention relates to spray dispensing ofliquid or other fiowable products and, more particularly, to an improvedarrangement for handling, storing and dispensing of spray-type products,such as paints, lacquers, enamels, cosmetics such as perfume, cologne orhair sprays, insecticides and detergents.

Many spray-type products have been marketed in aerosol cans but in manyinstances, this method of packaging is unduly expensive and isimpractical for those situations where the user requires only a smallquantity or has only an infrequent need for the particular product.

Combination spray pack systems wherein a single propellant container isto be used with each of a number of different product containers havebeen suggested over a period of many years as represented by thefollowing United States patents; Katzman No. 2,013,917, Ellis No.3,044,713, Hagadorn No. 3,084,870 and Moonan No. 3,162,370, but theseprior art systems have required special closure caps on each productcontainer for use with a composite spray head provided on the propellantcontainer or have been unable to prevent contamination of the spray headso as to require extensive cleanup before use with dilferent products orhave been otherwise clumsy to handle and interchange.

Until the present time, therefore, the combination spray pack systemshave involved unnecessary costs, have not been convenient to handle andhave not been freely interchangeable so that the market potential forcombination spray pack systems remains largely untapped.

Summary of the invention In accordance with this invention, an aspiratorinsert is provided for incorporation in each product package, theinserts afiording maximum convenience and ease when the various productcontainers are to be associated individually with a single master sprayhead on the propellant container.

The aspirator insert is incorporated in the product container duringoriginal filling and packaging to be available for use with the masterspray head upon removal of the conventional closure cap that is providedfor the product container. The insert includes a vented shield discsupportedly engaged a seating relation to the top end of the productcontainer, thedisc having a central passage open- "ice ing therethroughand a tube carried in depending relation from the disc, the tube havingan upper end communicating with the passage and a lower end extendinginto the product.

The master spray head includes a portion serving as a top cover for theproduct container and equipped with an aspirator nozzle thatautomatically registers with and seats in the disc passage when theproduct container is fitted into the spray head. An upward flare on thedisc passage and a mating taper on the lower end of the aspirator nozzletogether with exact central location thereof assures rapid and easyinterconnection of these components.

Most consumer convenience items for which the present invention findswide application contemplate disposable, one-way type product packageswhere packaging cost must be minimized. The insert is extremely simpleand low cost and yet serves the essential purposes of ease andconvenience in handling and connection of the product containers and inaddition serves to shield the master spray head from unnecessarycontamination by the product.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and claims, and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which show an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention.

Brief description of drawings In the accompanying drawings forming apart of the specification, and in which like numerals are employed todesignate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a combination spray pack incorporatingan aspirator insert in accordance with this invention, with parts brokenaway and sectioned;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view of theaspirator fittings;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse section of a basic product package; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the aspirator insert.

Description of disclosed embodiment Referring now to the drawings, atypical combination spray pack, such as is contemplated in the practiceof the present invention, is illustrated in FIG. 1 as including apropellant container 10, a separate product container 11 and a compositespray head 12 norm-ally permanently mounted upon the propellantcontainer 10 and including an outboard cover portion 13 for removablemounting upon the top end of the product container 11.

The propellant container 10 may be in the form of a conventional aerosolcan and typically may be several times larger than the product container11 to store a quantity of liquified gaseous propellant, such asdichlorodifluoromethane, the quantity being large enough to serviceseveral of the product containers. Thus, the invention finds importantapplication in connection with a coordinated set of product packages,each to be individually associated with a primary propellant package toenable interchangeable useof the product containers for selective spraydischarge of the different products. The composite spray head 12 for thepropellant container is passaged as indicated at 12F and provided withan external tubular stem 14 leading from the passage and anchored in anoutboard nozzle body portion 15 to define a discharge nozzle whichcommunicates with the propellant container, the spray head 12 beingequipped with a control valve 12Vlfor regulating propellant flow throughthe discharge nozz e.

In the particular embodiment illustrated herein for purposes ofdisclosure, the spray head has its outboard cover portion 13 fitted witha permanent metal top cover 16. The permanent cover 16 has a dependingskirt of conventional form provided with internal threads to engagecorresponding external threads 11T provided around the top end of theproduct container. The nozzle body portion provided upon the closure capmounts the nozzle extension tube 14 which leads from the main section ofthe spray head. An aspirator nozzle 17 is also carried by the outboardportion 13 .at a location immediately forward of the discharge orifice15D provided in the nozzle body portion 15. The jet discharge ofpropellant passes directly across the open top of the aspirator nozzle17 to efiect an aspirating effect and cause a spray discharge of theproduct P from the product container 11.

In accordance with the present invention, an aspirator insert generallydesignated at 18 is incorporated in the product container 11 andincludes a vented shield disc 19 having a peripheral edge 19E engaged inseating relation to the top end of the product container and having acentral passage 20 opening therethrough, with a tube 19T being mountedto the disc and carried in depending relation thereby. The tube 19T hasits upper end communieating with the passage and has its lower endextending into the product P. The aspirating effect of the jet dischargeof propellant draws product upwardly through the tube 19T and throughthe disc passage 20 to exit through the aspirator nozzle 17 withoutoccasioning contamination of the underface of the permanent cover 16 ofthe spray head.

The top end of the product container 11 that is shown herein forpurposes of illustrative disclosure has an annular internal, peripheraltop corner notch 11N defining a circular mounting seat. The aspiratordisc 19 may be of a molded plastic such as polyethylene or any othersuitable material and has a circular form to enable its peripheral edgeto seat snugly in the notch 11N at the top end of the product container.

The aspirator disc has the passage 20 located exactly centrally andhaving a generally hourglass transverse sectional configuration thatincludes a cylindrical lower end region 20C serving as a socket thatreceives the upper end of the aspirator tube 19T in force fit relationand that presents an upwardly flaring socket region 20F at its upper endcommunicating with the lower region through a restricted intermediateregion 20R and serving to receive the tapered lower end 17T of theaspirator nozzle. The tube may be of any suitable molded plastic orother material and preferably is of a flexible or semi-flexiblecharacter though this is not a requisite to the practice of theinvention.

To promote eflicient discharge of the product, the insert disc has avent hole 21 located intermediately of its peripheral edge and itscentral passage and the permanent cover 16 has a vent hole 22 to allowinflow of air as product is withdrawn from the container. The vent hole21 is sized small enough to preclude escape of the product therethroughso that the disc is effectively able to serve as a shield for preventingcontamination of the underface of the permanent cover 16.

A typical product package is shown in FIG. 3 Wherein the productcontainer 11 is represented as a small glass jar having a circumambientinternal corner notch 11N serving as a mounting seat for receiving theedge 19E of the vented shield disc 19 in edge sealing relation withinthe top of the product container. In the illustrated packagearrangement, the disc lies substantially flush with the top end of theproduct container and a screw type closure cap 23 is removably appliedon the container to hold the disc sealed in place during shipping andhandling. With this approach, the product packages may be marketedthrough mass distribution channels, such as the supermarkets.

It is contemplated that a coordinated set of product packages will beprovided with a common propellant container that is to be selectivelyassociated with each of the product packages. Thus, if the productcontainer represented in FIG. 1 has red paint, the propellant containeris temporarily associated with it to dispense the requisite amount ofpaint which may be a very small quantity or a substantial quantitydepending on the particular use. Thereafter, the red paint container isdisengaged from the cover portion 16 of the spray head, the associatedaspirator insert remaining in place and the conventional closure cap isapplied to protect the contents for future use. The propellant controlvalve 12V is actuated to clear the aspirator nozzle 17 of red paintbefore using the spray pack with another product. A different type ofproduct package such as that shown in FIG. 3, which may be assumed tocontain blue paint, is then opened by removing the closure cap andfitting the top end of the product container into the permanent cover16. Quick and convenient interchange of the various product containersis of prime importance and this is made possible by the provision ineach product container of an individual aspirator insert 18. The insertserves as a shield and because of the central location of the discpassage 20 and the corresponding location of the depending lower end ofthe aspirator nozzle 17, product containers can quickly be connected toor removed from the cover portion 16 of the spray head without anynozzle alignment or seating problems. In addition, the system involvesno extraneous parts other than the usual closure caps for the productcontainers.

What is claimed is:

1. In a disposable one-way package for a spray-dispensed product, saidpackage including a container having an open top end and being at leastpartly filled with said product, and a top closure removably mounted onsaid open top end in sealed relation to said container, the improvementcomprising an aspirator insert incorporated in said package andincluding a generally fiat vented shield disc supportedly engaged inseating relation to and spanning said top end of said container andhaving a central passage opening therethrough and a tube carried independing relation from said disc, said tube having an upper endcommunicating with said passage and a lower end extending into saidproduct.

2. In a disposable one-way package in accordance with claim 1 andwherein said central passage has a cylindrical lower end regionproviding a mounting socket for retaining the upper end of said tube andsaid central passage has an upwardly flared upper end regioncommunieating with said lower end region through an intermediaterestricted region.

3. In a disposable one-way package in accordance with claim 1 andwherein said container has an internal annular top corner notch definingan annular seat and said vented shield disc has a circular peripheraledge disposed in said seat and a vent hole located between said centralpassage and said peripheral edge, and said top closure engages saidcontainer externally and impresses said disc upon said annular seat.

4. A disposable, one-way package comprising a container having an opentop end bordered by a circumambient seat, said container having aflowable product therein, an aspirator insert including a generally flatvented shield disc having a circular peripheral edge engageable on saidseat and having a central passage opening therethrough and a vent holelocated intermediate of said passage and said edge, a tube carried independing relation from said disc, with said tube having an upper endcommunicating with said passage and having a lower end projecting intosaid flowable product and a top closure removably mounted on said opentop end and retaining said aspirator insert in place.

5. A disposable one-way package in accordance with claim 4 and whereinsaid central passage has a cylindrical lower end region providing amounting socket retaining the upper end of said tube, said centralpassage having an upwardly flared upper end region communicating withsaid lower end region through an intermediate restricted region.

6. In a combination propellant-powered, spray discharge pack thatincludes a propellant container, a product container, a composite sprayhead spanning both of said containers and equipped with a productaspirator nozzle, a propellant discharge nozzle communicating with thepropellant container and terminating in an outlet located in aspiratingrelation to said aspirator nozzle, and a control valve for saiddischarge nozzle, the improvement characterized by said spray headhaving means mounting said aspirator nozzle to depend at least partlytherebelow at a location having predetermined central registry with saidproduct container and an aspirator insert incorporated in the top ofsaid product container to shield the spray head from contact withproduct, said insert having a vented shield disc in edge seatingrelation to said product container and provided with a central passagereceiving the lower extremity of said aspirator nozzle, said disccarrying a tube having an upper end communicating with said passage anda lower end extending into said product.

7. In a combination spray pack in accordance with claim 6 wherein saidcentral passage has an upwardly flaring upper end region and saidaspirator nozzle has a downwardly tapering lower end matching and snuglyfitting in the upper end region of said passage to facilitate automaticseating thereof incident to connection of the product container to thespray head.

8. In a combination spray pack in accordance with claim 6 wherein saidproduct container has an internal annular top corner notch defining anannular seat and said vented shield disc has a circular peripheral edgedisposed in said seat and a vent hole located between said centralpassage and said peripheral edge, said central passage having acylindricl lower end region providing a mounting socket for retainingthe upper end of said tube, said central passage having an upwardlyflared upper end region communicating with said lower end region throughan intermediate restricted region, and said aspirator nozzle having adownwardly tapering lower end matching and snugly fitting in the upperend region of said passage to facilitate automatic seating thereofincident to connection of the product container to the spray head.

'9. In a coordinated set that comprises a plurality of one-waydisposable product packages, each containing a flowable, spraydispensable product and a propellant package, said product packages eachincluding a product container having an open top end, a top closureremovably mounted on said open top end in sealed relation to saidproduct container and an aspirator insert incorporated in each productpackage and including a vented shield disc supportedly engaged inseating relation to said top end of said container and having a centralpassage opening therethrough and a tube carried in depending relationfrom said disc, said tube having an upper end communicating with saidpassage and a lower end extending into the product, said propellantpackage including a propellant container for a pressurized propellantand a composite spray head on said propellant container and equippedwith a discharge nozzle and a control valve for said nozzle, said sprayhead carrying an outboard cover adapted for removable mountingselectively on the top end of any of said product containers uponremoval of the corresponding top closure, said cover carrying anaspirator nozzle having predetermined registry with and seatable in saiddisc passage to serve as an extension thereof, said aspirator nozzleterminating at a location in suction relation to said discharge nozzle.

10. In a coordinated set in accordance with claim 9 wherein each productcontainer has an internal annular top corner notch defining an annularseat and each corresponding vented shield disc has a circular peripheraledge disposed in said seat and a vent hole located between said centralpassage and said peripheral edge, said central passage having acylindrical lower end region providing a mounting socket for retainingthe upper end of said tube, said central passage having an upwardlyflared upper end region communicating with said lower end region throughan intermediate restricted region, and said aspirator nozzle having adownwardly tapering lower end matching and snugly fittable in the upperend region of each passage to facilitate automatic seating thereofincident to connection of the product container to the spray head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,084,870 4/ 1963 Hagadorn 239305 3,107,058 10/1963 Corbett 239346 3,176,883 4/1965 Davis 222-193 M.HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

M. Y. MAR, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

